i know what they did 30 years ago and i do not want to see a repeat of that carnage. A few years ago along the back side of nic i counted 9 sea lion bodies in the water--they were shot. I have spent 264 nights at nic since '93 and i have taken video of every trip since '95. I can show you the same beaches at the same time of the year (multiple years) and you can see that the rookeries were much fuller ten years ago than they are now.

When ever someone claims that the sea lion populations have 'exploded,' we all know it dog-whistle for removing them from esl and subjecting them to culling. I have heard that call for years.

Sea lions may be a nuisance but they are not a threat to the environment.

Someday we should have an honest discussion about what is really causing harm to our shared waters; the real reason for the MPA's.